I don't want to derail the thread, as the issue I want to discuss has been thoroughly argued about in a thread that was recently
closed, but it sounds to me like another shortcoming of stealth and how it transitions into encounters. If every nearby companions were included in the combat encounter rather then being added on one by one basis that wouldn't happen - just roll initiative for everyone, stealthed or not, and the problem is solved.
One a side note lack of readied actions has been puzzling - especially as Larian's seem to be very concerned about not allowing players to "waste" any part of action economy it seems like an odd ommision. It's a mechanic that should work really well in cRPG.